The Market Showcase
by Marc Winters
Summary: The Market Showcase is taking place. Link convinces Zelda to go, but while the festivities are going strong, something unsettling happens. A little LinkxZelda


"Are you cuckoo?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that's Anju." Link responded with a grin.

"Bad joke. And that's Cucco." Zelda said, shaking her head. She was situated at her desk, looking over a document.

"Same thing. And hey, speaking of Anju, she'll be there too! So come on, let's go!" Link said, gesturing out the door.

"Link, I can't. I have to look over several new law proposals." Zelda responded with a sigh.

Link walked over to the Princess's desk. "Isn't your dad the one who has to look over these?"

"He has the final say, but he wants me to start taking an interest in my future role." She explained.

"Oh, ok. So you don't _have_ to."

"It's in my best interest." Zelda said, turning back to her work.

"Well, it's in my best interest to go to the Market Showcase. And by association, it's in your best interest too." Link said pointing out the window.

Zelda laughed at him. "How do you figure that?"

"As a citizen of Hyrule, I find enjoyment in seeing the new products of the land and distant others. This enjoyment should be something that drives a leader, such as yourself. Now, as you are my friend, I would enjoy it even more if you were to accompany me. Don't you want to make sure your people are happy?" Link said, kneeling next to the desk, resting his head one his hands, next to the paper Zelda was working on.

"I do want them to be happy. This law's passing or rejection could also raise their happiness. And by reading it, I know which I should do, pass or reject. If I didn't, I might make the wrong call, upsetting my people." Zelda said, pushing him off of her desk.

Link caught himself from falling. "Hm… Valid point. But how about this? I won't go down there unless you come with me. And if I don't go, then the country's economy gets hurt by me not buying anything."

"Please, just one person's money usage is infinitesimal." She said brushing off his idea.

"Hey, it starts off as just me. Then when word gets out that the princess is out at the Showcase, BOOM! The whole town is out."

Zelda put her pen down. She turned and looked at Link, then burst out laughing. "You've really thought this through haven't you?"

Link grinned. " Actually, I came up with that on the spot. So come on, you see how hard I'm trying, let's go!"

Zelda sat back in her chair, thinking. After a couple of seconds, she stood up and said, "Oh, what the heck. This is boring anyway."

Link laughed. "That's the spirit!"

* * *

The market was even busier than usual. There were the usual residents out and running around, plus people from the neighboring regions. The whole place was twice as loud as usual, not even a dodongo's roar could be heard over the noise. There were the common vendors and stalls, plus Zoras, Gorons, and even Deku scrubs there to sell their new products. A few of the shops were there during the regular year and were still near the residential houses, but there were also many stalls set up. All of the stalls were simply four support beams with a wooden roof and wooden counter with a cloth covering the back end, for quicker access of the vendors for supplies behind the stall. Most of them are conjoined and didn't have sides, but the few that did had cloth covering the sides. The Market Showcase began as a day-long event held every 6 months to gather all new products together to get them into the public eye. Over time, it grew into a fair-type event, with games added to give it a more friendly atmosphere.

"You know, I thought the idea of any kind of food-on-a-stick was just a stereotype. But no, it's real." Link said, looking around at all of the stalls.

Zelda laughed. "Well, people are always trying to find a new way to cook something."

Link stopped them at a stall. "Yeah, but Poe-on-a-stick seems like a bad idea."

The vendor quickly stepped up. "Oh, no, no it's not a real Poe or anything. It's a gummy that just looks like a Poe soul." He then leaned closely to Link and whispered, "Unless you'd like a real soul. I can get that for you, would you like that?"

Link stared blankly at the vendor. "No, not really."

Zelda had turned around during their conversation. She tugged on Link's arm. "Hey, Link! Check that out!"

Link turned around from the creepy vendor. He looked at the stall Zelda was talking about. "'Shoot the Skulltula'?" Link noticed that there was a slingshot that you had to use to hit skulltulas on the opposite wall. There were 10 regular skulltulas. An 11th gold skulltula would quickly scurry across the background, when the 9th and 10th skulltulas were out. There were mostly young kids at the stall. "Are you really interested in that game?"

Zelda shrugged. "Well, not so much the game, but look at the prize."

Link glanced above the hanging sign. If you shot every skulltula plus the golden one, you won a stuffed horse. Link laughed.

Zelda turned, with a playful frown. "What?"

"I'm just kind of surprised. You could have a real horse if you wanted."

Zelda closed her eyes. "I know. I just had a stuffed horse like that when I was a little girl." She opened her eyes and looked at Link. "I'd like to have it again."

Link smiled. "Then come with me Princess."

* * *

The two approached the stall. There was a short line, there were a few kids ahead of them. One of the children turned around and saw Zelda. "Oh! Princess Zelda! Would you like to go ahead of me?" He stepped aside, offering his spot to her.

Zelda smiled at him. "That's very kind of you. But no thank you. You were here first, you can have your turn."

The kid smiled. "Thank you!" He turned back to face the front. Then, he quickly turned around and bowed, before going back to the front.

Link and Zelda smiled at the boy. Zelda began looking around the stall. "Say, do you even remember how to use a slingshot? You usually stick with a bow and arrows."

Link scratched the back of his head. "It's been a few years, but I'll still give it a shot." He smiled at her. "I'm going to get you that horse."

Zelda smiled back at him.

Link's first try was rough around the edges. He would either put too much or too little force behind his shots. He hit 4 of the 11 skulltulas. The second time around he was much more used to the slingshot. He hit the first 9, but when the golden one scurried out, Link wasn't fast enough to hit it and the last skulltula.

"Darn it!" Link said, smashing his fist on the counter. "Ok, third time's the charm."

"Link, it's ok. It's just a horse." Zelda said, putting her hand on his arm.

"No, I want to get it for you." Link said, smiling back at her.

He put down another 10 rupees and picked up the slingshot. This time, he hit all 11, with the gold skulltula being barely hit on one of its legs. He slammed the slingshot down and threw his hands in the air. He turned to Zelda with a sly grin. "Still got it."

Zelda laughed at him. Link grabbed the horse from the vendor and turned, giving it to Zelda. She smiled sweetly up at him. "Thank you."

He smiled back. "My pleasure."

* * *

The two were walking around, just looking and commenting on everything there was to offer. As they were on their stroll, they came across the Lon Lon Ranch stall. They walked over to say hi.

Malon was standing out in the front, while Talon was moving around boxes behind her. She lit up when she saw the two approaching her. "Zelda! Link! Hi! Oh, sorry. _Princess _Zelda."

Zelda laughed. "That's ok Malon. How are things going here?"

Malon shrugged. "Pretty good I guess. About the same as last time." Malon looked at Link. "Are you sure it's safe to carry a weapon in a crowd this big?"

Link shook his head. "Don't worry, I didn't bring my sword. Just my shield. I have to have some protection for Zelda!"

Malon laughed. "Yeah, I suppose so!

Zelda nodded. "So, do you have anything new?"

Talon came up to the counter of the stall. "Our sister ranch, Romani Ranch, gave us some Chateau Romani milk. Depending on how well it sells here, we might begin selling it from our ranch."

Link grinned. "Cool, give me a bottle. How much?"

Talon scratched his head. "200 rupees…"

"200 RUPEES?" Link said, shocked.

"There's a special ingredient that gives a very distinct taste, or a distinct sensation rather. That sensation is kind of intense and dangerous if taken in high amounts. The price is to ensure that nobody goes too far."

Link fumbled around with his rupee bag. "I understand why, but that's still kind of an insane price guys…"

"I'd like to try some." Zelda said.

"Here you go." Link said, handing over the rupees.

"Link, it's ok, I can pay for it." She told him.

"No, it's fine, I'll get it for you." He smiled, assuringly. "Tell you what. Share some with me, and we'll be even."

Zelda smiled. "Sounds good."

Malon handed them the bottle. "Here you go! Be careful, drink it slowly."

"Thanks Malon." Link said. He and Zelda walked away with their drink. "Do you want to go first?"

Zelda had a nervous look on her face. "Um…. No, you can go first."

"Alright." Link opened the bottle. The milk had a sort of glow to it. He put the bottle to his lips and took a small sip. " It doesn't really taste any different…." He tried again and took a big gulp. The drink immediately went to his head. All 5 senses were heightened to an extreme level and his mind began going a mile a minute, but this only lasted for a split second. His body was left tingling, filled with what seemed to be a strength that could vanish at any second.

"Holy CRAP." Link said, handing the bottle to Zelda.

"Are you ok?" She asked, visibly concerned.

Link bent over. "Just give me a second…" He took a deep breath and stood up straight. Colors were slightly more vibrant and the world was a bit sharper. The sounds were louder and more distinct. Even smells were more potent.

"Link?" Zelda said, trying to get his attention. "Do you feel ok?"

"Umm…. Yeah… It's an odd feeling." He said, shaking his head, but his state of mind stayed the same.

"Are you drunk or something?" She said with a nervous laugh.

Link smiled a bit. "No, my senses aren't exactly changed. Just strengthened." He turned to Zelda. Her hair was an even brighter gold than usual. Her face stood out above all of the others. Her voice was much more distinct over everybody else's.

"Should I try some?" She asked him.

He stared at her for a couple of seconds. "… Yeah, yeah, sure if you want to. But Malon was right, drink it slowly."

Zelda gave Link the stuffed horse and cupped the bottle with both hands. She looked down into it for a couple of seconds, debating whether or not she should. "Ok…" She put up the bottle and took a bit from it. Link saw her eyes dilate for a second, then return to normal. "Whoa…." She said, stumbling a bit.

"Hey, come on. Let's sit down for a bit." He guided her to a bench by the fountain. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be ok." She looked at his face. "Link, you…"

"What is it?" He asked.

"Oh, um… Nothing." Zelda leaned back on the bench. "Whoa, that stuff is strong."

"Yeah. Honestly, I don't want anymore."

"Me neither. Let's throw it away."

Link tossed the bottle into a nearby pail. "Can you walk?" He asked Zelda. She squinted, trying to concentrate before eventually leaning back again.

"Could you give me a hand?" She asked him.

"Yeah, here." Link grabbed her hands and pulled her up. She stood up and let go, but wrapped her arms around him to keep her balance. She looked up into his eyes, and he gazed back.

"Zelda…" Link began.

"I think it's just the drink." She said quickly looking away.

Link shook his head. "Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right." They let go of each other.

"I think it's starting to die down now." Zelda said, rubbing her temples.

Link looked around and everything had gone back to normal. Except for Zelda. She looked the same as when his senses were heightened.

Zelda caught him staring at her. "Are you ok?"

"Oh. Yeah, it's wearing off in me too."

"Do you want to go find Anju?" She asked him.

"What?"

"You mentioned she'd be here. Did you want to see her?"

Link shook off what had just happened. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

They began heading towards the livestock section of the showcase.

"I wonder how many people saw you try that" Link said.

"Why's that?" Zelda asked him.

"You know, the princess drinking something, then acting funny. It might have seemed odd." He laughed.

"Come now, I wasn't drunk or anything." She nudged him.

"Just saying…"

The two approached the Cucco pen and saw Anju spreading some feed.

"Hey Anju!" Link called out.

Anju turned around and smiled at them. "Hello Princess. Hey Link."

"How are things going over here?" Link asked.

Anju smiled. "Pretty good." She bent over and picked up a cucco, hugging it to her chest. "See?"

"Whoa, I thought you were allergic!"

"I am, but these are specially bred hypoallergenic cuccos!" She explained, her smile growing.

"That's great Anju!" Zelda said.

"Yeah, it really is." Link agreed. He looked into the pen and saw a blue bird walking around with the others. "Is that Cojiro?"

Anju nodded. "Yeah, Grog let me bring him. He still doesn't crow, but a blue cucco is a good way to draw a crowd."

Zelda nodded in understanding. "Especially the kids!"

Link looked at the pen and, sure enough, most of the people petting the cuccos were children. There was one kid with a stick who was getting pretty aggressive with the bird.

"Hey!" Link called out. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

The kid dropped the stick and went to simply petting the cucco.

Anju and Zelda smiled at him. "What? Those things get dangerous when angry."

Zelda laughed. "The Hero is even able to save cuccos…"

Link smirked. "All in a day's work. Hey Anju, we'll see you later."

Anju waved. "Bye guys!"

* * *

Zelda nudged Link. "Link, the Hero of Birds."

"Yeah, I don't think that'll catch on." he said.

"It might. You never know…" Zelda said playfully, folding her hands behind her back.

Link smiled and shook his head. He looked forward and saw a huge crowd forming around a Goron stall at the other side of the marketplace, at the edge of the showcase. People were shouting and shoving their way to the front. Link and Zelda shared a look, then ran to the stall. There were two stall vendors behind the counter, one was a Goron, the other a Hylian, and the two were shouting at each other. The stall looked fried, like an explosion happened in it. The wood was charred black everywhere, except for the front corners. The banners were torn and had small embers at the torn ends.

The hero and princess were stuck at the back of the crowd. Link tapped a man on the shoulder.

"What's going on?" He asked.

The guy sighed. "I'm not entirely sure what they're arguing about now, but I was right at that stall over there when I heard an explosion. This was the Goron's stall, there were bomb flowers for sale. Suddenly one goes and ruins his entire stall. Now, what i've gathered from a few shouts here and there, he's blaming the blacksmith from the stall attached to his. Something about the flames from the blacksmith's welding fire setting off his bombs. Everything else is drowned out from the crowd's shouts."

Link nodded. "Thanks."

"Yes, thank you." Zelda said.

"Oh, Princess!" The man said shocked. "Perhaps you can help settle this."

"I'll try." She told him.

"Here, let's try to get you to the front." Link said, taking Zelda's hand.

The two tried pushing themselves to the front. Most people wouldn't budge until they saw Zelda. As they neared the front, the argument between the two vendors became clear.

"You have to keep that damn fire under control! Why do you even have it lit?" The Goron shouted.

"I have it lit because that's how I make weapons! I need that fire to weld the metal into shape!" The Hylian yelled back.

"You have more than enough weapons on display! You don't need to make anymore! Put out the fire!"

"Don't tell me how to run my business! I don't come over here telling you how to grow your damn plants! But obviously I should, because you just have them BLOW UP RANDOMLY!" The vendor screamed, getting red in the face.

"ENOUGH!" Zelda screamed, as she let out Farore's Wind to create a strong gust of wind that could hit everybody with force, but not knock them over. Link's hat and even shield almost flew off him. He looked around and saw that now almost all of the showcase, the vendors and the shoppers, was here to see the commotion.

"Princess…" The Hylian vendor muttered.

"Your Highness." The Goron bowed.

"Now just what is going on here?" Zelda demanded. The two vendors came out from the counter and approached the Princess.

"Forgive me for the commotion." The Goron began." There was an explosion from my bomb flowers in the bak of my stall. The nearest flame that could've caused my stock to explode is the flame from this man's stall. Our stalls are adjacent and it is possible a spark could gotten out and lit a flower."

"That's not possible." The Hylian interjected. "As you can see, even with a strong blow, the wind would not have been able to carry an ember that distance without putting it out. It must've just been a poorly grown plant."

"I assure that all of my bomb flowers are grown properly and are not prone to… malfunction, if you will." The Goron explained.

While they were explaining to Zelda, Link walked past and went to the back of the stall. It was one of the bombs on the ends that exploded first and then just set off a chain reaction. Most of the wood form the back had turned to ash. All of the Goron's stock had been used up in this explosion. Link bent over to pick one of the few pieces of wood that was still intact. It was charred black, but it was still a solid piece. As he slid his fingers below the plank, the fingertips on his right hand suddenly felt a burning sensation.

"Gah…" Link said, jumping back and fanning out his hand. He looked back at the plank and nudged it away with his foot. Beneath the plank was an arrowhead. It head been in the explosion so the edges were rounded and worn, but he could still see it's shape pretty clearly.

"Hey Ze… Princess would you mind looking at this?" Link asked, remembering that everybody would hear if he was informal with the princess of Hyrule.

Zelda and the two vendors came over to where Link was standing.

"Look at that." Link said, pointing to his finding.

"It looks like a rock that got singed." The Goron vendor said.

"It does, but…" Link bent over and quickly put the stone in the palm of his glove before it burned his fingers again. "Look, look at the shape. It's an arrowhead."

"Link, that might be a stretch." Zelda said to him.

"No, look. See the top point?"

"I guess I can see it…" The Hylian vendor said, tilting his head, looking at the stone.

"But Link an arrowhead would've been destroyed by multiple bomb flowers exploding. Stone wouldn't have survived it." Zelda added.

"Yeah… Well, there are a few things that could survive an explosion. Cordite, Bendezium, Denzium… This definitely wasn't just a Sandstone arrowhead. Where's a stall that uses arrows?" Link asked.

A yell came from the crowd. "That stall over there was a shoot the target game!" The person pointed to Gerudo stall, a few shops down, also at the end of the showcase, but as a stand alone stall.

"Thanks." Link said, walking to the stall.

"Carry on everybody. Don't worry, we'll figure everything out, you just continue enjoying your day at the Showcase!" Zelda said, trying to bring the cheer back. People started to walk away, talking and gossiping about what happened. She turned to the vendors. "We'll figure this out. Sir, you can continue with your stall." The Hylian nodded, and returned. "And you, do you have any other bomb flowers with you?"

The Goron shook his head. "I'm afraid not. But the Biggoron might need some help with his stall."

"Great. I'll come get you if we find anything."

"Thank you, your majesty." The Goron said, bowing. Zelda turned and saw Link was already at the Gerudo game.

The stall was empty, but given the crowd that had formed, most stalls were empty. Link hopped the counter and looked into the barrel filled with arrows.

"Look at how the ends are bright gray. Those are Sandstone tips." Zelda told him.

He walked around the outside of the stall and saw a few barrels behind the cloth. One was trash and the other was filled with broken arrows.

Zelda came over and looked into the barrel. "These must've broken by people playing the game."

"Maybe…" Link said, shuffling through the barrel. He pulled up a few tops of the arrows. The arrowhead were dark brown, speckled dark gray. "These aren't Sandstone."

"No. They look like Cordite." Zelda said.

"How can you tell?" Link asked.

"They're brown, which is either Cordite or Denzium." Zelda said. Then she leaned over and pointed to the rock. "The speckles are only found in Cordite, though. They get stuck to the rock during its formation."

Link smiled at her. "That's why you have Wisdom. Why would these arrows have Cordite?" He asked. He looked at the explosion site. Then back to the game.

The game was pretty basic. There was a circular target and the closer to the center you got, the higher the points got. Link stared at the target. Since the stall was at the end of the showcase, if someone missed, the arrow would just go into the fields. Link turned slightly and saw that the other stalls would easily be in sight.

"Hey Zelda. Check this out." He called.

Zelda walked over and saw what he was looking at. "You have to go through the blacksmith's shop to reach the bomb flowers." She gasped. "That's why they used Cordite!"

"What do you mean?" Link asked,.

"Cordite is highly flammable…" Zelda began.

"Link! Princess Zelda!"

The two turned and saw Anju running towards them. She got to them, panting. "Cojiro… He's… he's missing!"

"What?" Zelda gasped. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes." Anju started. "He's not in any of the pens! He's not with the live stock, either, he's just gone!"

Link closed his eyes. "It's not hard to piece this together."

Zelda sighed. "Yeah…"

"Let's go see Malon. Anju, come with us."

Anju nodded. "Ok, sure."

* * *

"Malon!" Link called out as they ran up to the counter.

"Oh, hey guys." Malon said with an exhausted smile. "Sorry, I can't really talk right now. Somebody stole all of the Chateau Romani we brought."

Link slammed his fist on the counter. "Damn it! They did!"

Malon gave him a confused look. "Who?"

"The Gerudos."

Zelda put her hands to hide her face. "Why am I so stupid? I was the one who signed the papers allowing them to have a stall in the showcase! This is all my fault!"

"Hey, come on Zelda." Link said, grabbing her hands. Her eyes were filled with water. "This isn't your fault, you were just being a trusting person. Don't beat yourself up over this. Besides, we'll get everything back." He smiled at her. "Don't worry!"

Zelda calmed down and smiled back at him. "Ok."

"Alright, where are the carriages? I assume people didn't walk all the way here with their things." Link asked.

"They're at the start of the trail that leads up to the Temple of Time." Anju said.

"Ok, let's go." Link said, walking towards the Temple.

Malon ran out from the counter and joined the three. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, you guys, what are we doing?" Anju asked.

"Ok." Link started. "This showcase is one of the few times a year when people bring out their newest and best products and games and things like that to show the world. This is one of the biggest events of the year. Let's be honest, it's only matched when it happens again later in the year. Well, it seems like some people wanted to have all of the rare things without paying. You two know that firsthand."

"Cojiro…" Anju muttered.

"The Chateau Romani…" Malon whispered.

Link continued, "Exactly. The Gerudos wanted those and I'm willing to guess a lot of other people are missing things as well. But this place is filled with people, they can't just attack and steal everything. So they decided to go stealthy. All they needed was a distraction."

"The explosion!" Anju realized.

"Yes." Zelda took over. "They set up their shop at an angle that could reach the Goron's bomb flower stand. Now, usually arrowheads are made of Sandstone. But the Gerudos had a few arrows with Cordite. They just needed to wait until things started dying down around their shop. Then, when they had the right moment, they shot at the stall."

"Sure, it's a sturdy material, but wouldn't a Cordite arrowhead be too soft to pierce the hard surface of a bomb flower?" Malon asked.

Zelda nodded. "Yes, it is. But Cordite is very easily flammable, unlike Sandstone. They lined up the shot with the welding fire from the blacksmith's stall. The arrows went through the fire, immediately caught, then hit the flowers. With fire, the bombs exploded right away, before anybody would've noticed the arrow."

Link jumped in, holding the arrowhead he found at the Goron's stall. "The body of the arrow burned up in the explosion. However, the Cordite can withstand the heat of the explosions, so it was only charred and survived. Since it turns to this black color after heated, anybody would've passed it off as a plain rock. The only reason I noticed it was that it was still hot and burned my finger."

"So," Zelda finished. "After everybody was in the crowd that had formed at the Goron's stall, the Gerudo's had their best opportunity to sneak around and take any valuable merchandise people brought. Now, they're probably loading things to their carts and plan to leave without anybody taking notice."

"Wow…" Malon said, astonished.

"Let's just hope they haven't left yet." Link said quietly.

As they approached the end of the showcase, near the stall, they saw a carriage and cart coming toward them. The cart was covered with a tied down sheet. The people aboard the carriage were hooded.

Link scoffed. "Yeah, that's not suspicious…"

Zelda walked into plain view of the cart. She put her hand up. "Stop! We would like to check your cart. This is a royal order!"

The driver didn't do anything for a few seconds. Then, she threw the reins and the horses sped up, straight for the Princess. Link ran out and grabbed Zelda, pulling her away from the path of the carriage.

"Thank you." Zelda said, looking up at him.

"Don't mention it, let's go!" Link said.

"Stop that carriage!" Anju yelled into the crowd, but nobody paid attention to her.

Then the carriage entered the crowd and people began jumping out of the way. Panic began to break out.

"Darn it!" Link said. "Zelda, can you teleport me to them?"

Zelda shook her head. "I can't hit a moving target!"

He looked around for something to do. "Ok, then come with me!"

The two ran to the Gerudo stall. Link grabbed a bow and a regular arrow. He went to the back and got a Cordite arrow. He took the tip off of the broken arrow and used it to replace the Sandstone on the regular arrow.

"Zelda, can you take me somewhere high?" Link asked.

Zelda looked around. "How about that rooftop?"

"Perfect."

Link grabbed a hold of Zelda and she teleported the two of them to the top of the the nearby houses.

He held the Cordite tip towards Zelda. "If you don't mind…"

Zelda used Din's Fire to light the tip of the arrow. Link set up the bow and aimed for his moving target. They were already halfway through the Market. He aimed for the harness. After being locked on for a few seconds, he let the arrow go. It hit the harness and lit it right away. The horses stopped running. The cart got disconnected and the carriage flipped to its side and rolled for a few feet before stopping.

Link grinned. "Slingshot or arrow. I still got it."

Zelda smiled and grabbed Link again. The two teleported to the wreck site. Link stepped forward as the hooded people crawled out from the carriage.

"Are you ready to return everything?" Link asked.

They removed their robes. There were four Gerudos, each with two scimitars. The leader smirked. "I don't think so."

Link grabbed his shield and went for his sword, until he remembered that it wasn't there. "Oh, crap."

Two Gerudos charged right for him. He jumped away from them, putting his shield up to block the swords. One went right for a second strike. Link swung his shield at the scimitars, knocking one out of her hand. Both Gerudos came for him again. As the one swung her only sword at him, he grabbed her wrist, stopping the attack. He swung his shield at the other and connected with the side of her head, knocking her out. He turned back to the other and dropped his shield, using his now free hand to push the Gerudos arm forward, breaking it. She screamed in pain and jumped back. He grabbed his shield again and swung for her, but she got out of the way.

"This thing is to bulky to be a weapon…" Link thought.

He noticed the scimitars and the floor and ran for one. A third Gerudo charged for him, swords raised. Link put his shield up, but the change in weight distribution while running caused him to trip. As the swords came for him, A blue diamond appeared in front of him making a barrier that the Gerudos swords collided with. He looked over and saw Zelda using Nayru's Love to shield him. Link got up and ran for a scimitar. Zelda used Nayru's Love again to create numerous mini diamonds and sent them hurling for the Gerudo with a broken arm, sending her to the floor screaming. Link grabbed the sword and ran for Zelda, who was about to be hit by the third Gerudo. Link swung and made a slice in the back of the Gerudo. She screamed and turned to Link, hatred burning in her eyes. Zelda used Din's Fire to create a small flame by the Gerudo's hands, burning her and causing her to drop her swords. Link gripped his sword tightly, making a fist, and threw a punch to the thief's chin. It knocked her to the ground. As her head hit the ground she was out cold.

Link and Zelda turned to the fourth Gerudo. She seemed nervous, but still rose her swords. Link ran for her, while Zelda sent more Nayru crystals toward her. The Gerudo used her swords to deflect all of the crystals, but was left defenseless for Link, who swung for her stomach. The cut made her drop her weapons and fall to her knees.

"Fine! Just take your damn things back! Why the hell…" She trailed off. The Gerudo stood up and moved her arms around in the air and a strong sandstorm suddenly took over the entire market. Link, Zelda, and all of the others had to cover their eyes from the sand. The storm lasted a few seconds, but when it ended the four Gerudos were gone, only the scimitars were there.

Link walked over to the cart and used the sword to cut the ropes tying it down. He took off the sheet and saw crates of Chateau Romani, cages of animals including Cojiro, a golden skulltula, and many other things. The animals were rattled from the excitement, but didn't seem to be hurt.

"Come over and grab your things!" Link called to the crowd. They cheered and began moving forward to grab their stolen goods. Link grabbed Cojiro's cage and walked towards Anju.

"Here you are." He said, handing her Cojiro with a smile.

Anju smiled and hugged Link. "Thank you!" She took the blue bird from him.

"Malon, I took your crates off the cart already, there right there." He pointed to the ground by the corner of the cart. Talon was already there, grabbing the crates.

"Oh, Dad's there. Thank you Link." Malon said, also giving him a hug. "And thank you Princess."

Zelda smiled. "You're welcome." Link and Zelda walked to the cart, and began handing things out.

Suddenly, Cojiro let out a loud crow.

Malon laughed. "Silly, that's sunset, not sunrise."

"Actually, he doesn't crow at sunrise. Grog said he only crows for nice people. " Anju told her. The two then turned and saw Link and Zelda. They shared a smile. "You're a very perceptive cucco, Cojiro."

* * *

The Showcase had ended. Most of the stalls had packed up and left. Link and Zelda decided to call it a night. He escorted the Princess back to her room.

"I think that horse is taking a liking to you." Link said, pointing to Zelda's stuffed horse.

She hugged it. "It was kind of that Goron to watch him for me. He could've gotten hurt in the commotion!"

Link laughed. "Hah, yeah!"

They arrived at her door. Zelda turned around, still hugging her horse. "Well, thank you for an interesting day. Considering everything that happened, I'm glad you talked me into it."

"Hey, anytime Zel." Link smiled at her.

Zelda took a step forward, went on her toes, and gave Link a quick kiss. She gave Link a playful look before going into her room.

Link stood there with a goofy grin, before eventually going down to his room.

"For her, maybe I am cuckoo."

**Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Can anybody tell where I got the names of the stones from?**


End file.
